Return bend fittings for oil cracking stills



June 19, 1934. E. B. WINDISCH 1,963,515

RETURN BEND FITTINGS FOR OIL CRACKING STILLS Filed March 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR FIG. 2.

TORNEY June 19, 1934. I w msc 1,963,515

' RETURN BEND FITTINGS FOR OIL CRACKING STILLS Filed March 28, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ORNEY June 19, 1934. E. B. WINDISCH RETURN BEND FITTINGS FOR OIL CRACKING STILLS 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 28, 1953 lNVENTOR W aTT Patented June 19, 1934 RETURN BEND FITTINGS FOR OIL CRACKING STILLS Edward B. Windisch, Fort Pierce, Fla., assignor to Fred C. Fantz, Webster Groves, Mo.

Application March 28, 1933, Serial No. 663,132

3 Claims.

My invention relates to that class of return bend fittings which are designed to provide demountable tubes. It is well known that in the standard headers or junction boxes formerly-employed that the tubes were rolled into the housing or header and as a. consequence, permanently attached thereto. Therefore if one of the two tubes was defective it was necessary to destroyan entirely good tube in order to remove the defective one. Moreover, it is also well known that .tubes sag and warp in use and it was impossible to change or alter the position of the tube. Indeed in some cases in practice it has been found that the tubes warped so much that they lie upon adjacent tubes, thus forming a very present danger of rupture with the possibility of attendant loss of property and life. As a consequence the refiners have been seeking for means to employ a demountable tube which will not be subject to these objections.

My invention has for its principal object to provide a construction for demountable tubes in which the housing will not require a split sectional bushing or ring to be mounted intermediate the shoulders on the tubes and the shoulders on the housing.

A further object is to provide a construction in which the wing type of toggle may be more easily removed.

A further object is to provide a form of construction which will simplify the machine work and in which the weight is greatly reduced.

My means of accomplishing the foregoing objects may be more readily understood by having reference to the accompanying drawings which are hereunto annexed and are a part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my device, a part of the wall being broken away to show the means of mounting the tubes;

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same, part of the return bend and a toggle being omitted for clearness;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 in Fig. 1, the set screw and toggle being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, the

U bend and tube being omitted for clearness;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 in Fig. 3;

Figs. 6 and '7 are detail views; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form partly broken away to show the interior; and Fig. 9 is a top or plan view of the same, one halfof the return bend being omitted and one of th toggles.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the entire description.

As shown in the drawings, I have illustrated a conventional return bend 1 which is connected to the ends of a pair of adjacent still tubes 2 and 3, 60 a fragmentary portion of which only is shown as obviously the tubes form no part of my invention.

Inasmuch as the construction for the joint is 7 identical for each of the tubes, I shall only describe a single tube and the manner of connecting the housing and return bend thereto.

The ends of the tubes 2 and 3 are upset forming shoulders 4 which are adapted to be engaged by shoulders 5 formed on a plate 6 which is provided with two parts or portions '7 and 8 in which the shoulders 5 are formed and which are adapted to partially encircle the end of the tubes 2 and 3. The housing comprises annular portions 9 which are adapted to encircle the ends of the tubes and which are provided with semicircular shoulders 10 which engage the shoulders 4 formed by the upset portion of the tubes 2 and 3. These annular portions are provided with upwardly extending walls 11 and 12 in which are mounted toggles 14which carry set screws 14 the inner ends of which engage abutments 15 formed on the external surface of the return bend 1.

As illustrated, 1 have shown peripheral grooves formed in the faces of the return bend, into which the ends of the tubes are fitted, but it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that any type of joint between the return bend and tube may be employed as desired.

The lower surface of the plate 6 intermediate the tubes is convex, as clearly seen in Figs. 1, 7, and is adapted to be engaged bya corresponding concave surface 16 formed on one half of the annular member 9. It may, in some instances, be found desirable to construct the housing so that the upwardly extending side walls are formed in one piece and the set screw mounted therein as this construction can be employed without difiiculty inasmuch as it is possible, when access .to the interior tubes is desired, to swing the housings into the position shown by dotted li 1 in Fig. 1, when the return bend 1 can be removed and tube cleaners inserted in the tube without difliculty. -When the return or U bend 1 has been replaced, the housing is swung ba k i t position shown in full lines, and by tightening the set screw 14 obviously the shoulders 10 and 5 will be drawn tightly against the shoulders 4 formed by the upset portions of thetubes, which will result in forcing the ends of the tubes tightly into the peripheral grooves formed in the. .110

face of the return bend 1 and a leak-proof joint is produced.

It may, in some instances, be found desirable to provide means to hold the annular portions 9 and the platefi together. This can be done by passing a bolt through an aperture formed in the plate 6 and providing a nut with surfaces which will engage the lower part of the annular members 9. By tightening the nut obviously the whole will be held rigidly in position.

Having described my invention, what I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a refinery apparatus, a return bend adapted to connect a pair of shouldered tubes to provide a passageway therethrough, a pair of housing members comprising annular portions adapted to encircle the ends of said tubes, semi-circular shoulders on the inner walls of said annular portions, and a plate having semi-circular ends arcuate shoulders thereon, adapted to engage the shoulders on said tubes, said plate being formed to permit said housings to tip and uncover the ends of the tubes, and means to draw the return bend and tubes into a tight joint.

2. In a refinery apparatus, a return bend adapted to connect a pair of shouldered tubes to provide a passageway therethrough, a pair of housing members comprising annular portions adapted to encircle the ends of said tubes, semi-circular shoulders on the inner walls of said annular portions, and a plate having semi-circular ends, arcuate shoulders thereon, adapted to engage the shoulders on said tubes, said plate being formed to permit said housings to tip and uncover the ends of the tubes, and means to draw the return bend and tubes into a tight joint, detachable means to connect said plate and said annular portions.

3. In a refinery apparatus, a return bend adapted to connect a pair of shouldered tubes to provide a passageway therethrough, a pair of housing members comprising annular portions adapted to encircle the ends of said tubes, semi-circular shoulders on the inner walls of said annular portions, and a plate having semi-circular ends, arouate shoulders thereon, adapted to engage the shoulders on said tubes, said plate being formed to permit said housing to tip and uncover the ends of the tubes, and set screws mounted in said housings.

EDWARD B. WINDISCH. 

